After more than 30 years, first mainstream politician prays at Srinagar’s Jama Masjid; seeks support for his candidate, says, Mirwaiz never supported violence
Srinagar: A day after the National Conference organised a massive rally in the downtown city, Jammu and Kashmir Apni Party chief Altaf Bukhari Monday became the first mainstream politician in three decades to offer prayers at the historic Jama Masjid, once considered a citadel of separatist politics in Jammu and Kashmir.
Bukhari held a roadshow, which started from the revered shrine of Dastgeer Saheb this morning, and later went to the mosque.
Accompanied by Mohammad Ashraf Mir, the Apni Party candidate for the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat, Bukhari and his entourage offered prayers at the 14th century mosque in the Nowhatta area of the city.
There was a minor incident of stone-pelting on one of the cars travelling with Bukhari in Nowhatta area but the party sought to downplay it.
Asked about his visit to Kashmir’s grand old mosque, Bukhari said he had come to offer voluntary prayers at the mosque.
“The credit for peace goes to people. No doubt the administration of the day also makes efforts but in the end, it is the people who do it,” he added.
Bukhari, who was campaigning for Mir in downtown Srinagar, said that it was wrong to depict the Jamia Masjid as the place for mobilization of election boycott in Kashmir.
“It was not a boycott mobilisation. Somewhere the pride or esteem of the people was hurt which led to such things in the past. Vote is a sacred right and people should give their votes to the candidate they feel will represent them better in Parliament,” Bukhari told reporters.
The visit of Apni Party leaders comes a day after the National Conference vice president and former chief minister Omar Abdullah held a massive rally in the neighbouring Hawal locality of the downtown.
The Srinagar Lok Sabha constituency goes to polls on May 13. Mir, National Conference leader Aga Ruhullah and PDP youth president Waheed Para are locked in a triangular contest for the prestigious seat.
The former minister hit out at the three sitting Lok Sabha members from Kashmir — National Conference leaders Farooq Abdullah, Hasnain Masoodi and Mohammad Akbar Lone — for their performance in the Parliament over the past five years.
“What have these three MPs done? According to reports, there are 1,400 persons behind bars and these sitting MPs still have one month left in their tenure. If they manage to get only 10 per cent of the jailed youth released, I will ask my candidate to sit down and people can vote for them (National Conference),” he said.
Lauding the Mirwaiz family of Kashmir as genuine representatives of people, Apni Party president Syed Mohammad Altaf Bukhari claimed on Monday that the preachers from the grand pulpit of Jamia Masjid could never be proponents of violence.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of his visit to Nowhatta, Bukhari claimed that those speaking the truth are often labeled as agents, just as he was.
He said, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq never condoned violence and on the contrary, his family has suffered immense violence since 1947.
“I think Mirwaiz sahab was never in favor of violence, yes but a narrative was set that he was supporting violence that he never did. One who delivers sermons from the pulpit of Jamia Masjid could never be the proponent of violence,” said Bukhari.
